Metro by T-Mobile vs. US Mobile: Has Metro lost its edge?

• Family plan savings

  Metro by T-Mobile

  Metro by T-Mobile is a prepaid carrier owned by T-Mobile with a handful of unlimited plans as well as a couple of other budget options. Metro’s Flex unlimited plans also come bundled with Google One data and hotspot data on each one.

  Pros

  • Solid range of plans with multi-line discounts
  • Strong 5G coverage on T-Mobile
  • Google One storage included with all Flex plans

  Cons

  • Can be expensive for a single line
  • Older heritage plans are difficult to access
  • Must go to a store for multi-line setup

  From $40/month

• Choose your network

  US Mobile

  US Mobile is a unique carrier thanks to having all three major networks available for coverage, clear QCI values, and solid international add-ons. You can save with a light plan for under $10 per month, or save on an unlimited plan by paying for a year upfront.

  Pros

  • Strong annual plan discounts
  • Low starting price for the Light Plan
  • Your choice of the Big Three networks

  Cons

  • No multi-line discounts
  • Some feature differences between monthly and annual plans
  • The 10GB plan is only annual

  From $10/month

Metro by T-Mobile is more of an extension of T-Mobile’s prepaid service than its own carrier, with plans that fit right in with T-Mobile Prepaid options. Metro looks simple at first, but it's got a lot of promotional and heritage plans available in addition to its Flex Unlimited plans. While you can find just about any plan you need here, signing up for the right one can be cumbersome, and may even require going to a physical store or calling customer service.

US Mobile is an MVNO through and through, with little allegiance to a particular network, a refreshing approach to data priority, and annual savings for most plans. US Mobile works with AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon, so you can pick the network that works best in your area. If you live in a rural area, for example, AT&T or Verizon could be the optimal pick, but if you live in a suburb, T-Mobile’s speeds may come out on top.

Both carriers have thankfully included taxes and fees in the price of the plan. We all need to pay taxes, and they’re generally not that much on a phone plan, but some other prepaid carriers have also taken to tacking on things like recovery fees and connectivity fees, which can make it hard to measure value. With Metro by T-Mobile and US Mobile, the price of the plan is the price you’ll pay when your bill comes.

Mobile carrier features

When we’re considering a new phone plan, we mostly keep it simple with talk, text, and data being the main concerns, but many phone plans can have more going on. With Metro by T-Mobile's Flex plans, the biggest difference between them is how much hotspot data you get, international features, and Amazon Prime as a bundled service. While all of these come with hotspot data, the top two plans get 25GB and texting to 210+ other countries.

With Metro by T-Mobile, you don’t get a choice of networks, but most people will be covered by the T-Mobile 5G network. You do, however, get totally unlimited data with a potential decrease in priority after 35GB of usage in a month. You also have access to some T-Mobile extras like Scam Shield and T-Mobile Tuesdays.

US Mobile looks like a fairly typical prepaid carrier with a shared pay-as-you-go plan and three unlimited plans with high-speed data caps, but it sets itself apart in other ways. When you sign up for US Mobile, you can choose between Warp (Verizon), Light Speed (T-Mobile), and Dark Star (AT&T).

All of these networks get the same amount of high-speed data, so the only thing you really need to worry about is which one works best in your area. Luckily, another feature called Teleport allows you to switch between networks. You get two teleports for free on most plans, with each additional teleport coming in at $2.

Each unlimited plan comes with what’s called premium data on the Verizon SIM, and high-speed data on the AT&T and T-Mobile SIMs. It means the same thing, but with speeds reduced to 1Mbps if you use up all of your premium/high-speed data.

US Mobile’s plans are available month-to-month or annually with savings for those paying for the entire year. For example, if you’re a light user, you can get US Mobile’s Light Plan with 2GB of data for just $96 per year. US Mobile also has a selection of international features that can be added to cheaper plans or come with the top-end plan.

Mobile coverage and reception

Starting with Metro by T-Mobile, coverage is fairly straightforward with full T-Mobile 5G coverage. For the most part, that’s good news, with T-Mobile having some of the best nationwide 5G coverage and the fastest overall 5G network thanks to its mid-band spectrum. Metro by T-Mobile was even found to be the fastest prepaid carrier you can get in a report from Ookla.

That being said, T-Mobile doesn’t have perfect coverage everywhere, and for some people, having another option or two would be worthwhile.

US Mobile is quite a bit different with the upfront choice between the Big Three carrier networks. When you get your SIM or eSIM, you can choose between Warp (Verizon), Light Speed (T-Mobile), and Dark Star (AT&T). The nice thing about this setup is that if you’re happy with your coverage on one of the big carriers, but not the price, you can keep using that network with US Mobile.

You also get low-band, mid-band, and high-band 5G on all three carriers, so you’re not giving up performance like you would with a base plan from Verizon-owned carrier Visible.

If you want to try a different network, you can use a feature called Teleport. US Mobile’s top unlimited plan comes with unlimited Teleports, which could be good for someone who travels a lot, but the other plans still get two free Teleports. Even after that, it’s only $2 per Teleport, so if you find yourself on vacation with poor reception, you can swap over for less than the cost of a coffee.

If you choose Dark Star (AT&T), you can also pay to upgrade your priority level from QCI9 to QCI8. Effectively, this puts you higher on the totem pole, so your maintain fast speeds, even when a tower starts to get congested.

Phone compatibility

The T-Mobile network used by Metro is one of the most compatible around, working with even international model phones. For example, in our review of the Nothing Phone 2a, we used a T-Mobile-based carrier with no major issues. Naturally, an international phone may lack some band support, but it’s nice that you can use it. For the best results on T-Mobile, you want access to band n71 for nationwide 5G and band n41 for faster mid-band speeds.

If you go with the Light Speed SIM from US Mobile, you’ll basically get the same coverage and similar performance to Metro. The Warp SIM uses Verizon LTE and 5G, which means strong LTE coverage nationwide with a growing 5G footprint. Verizon also has a good reputation for rural coverage, but the further you get from a city, the less you can rely on reputation for coverage.

If neither T-Mobile nor Verizon are working well for you, you can try Dark Star with AT&T coverage. AT&T isn’t the fastest network, and it’s well behind T-Mobile in terms of 5G coverage, but it has great coverage nationwide, including in rural areas. Just keep in mind that the best option for you isn’t necessarily the same as anyone else.

No matter which coverage option you choose, most of the best Android phones, like the Galaxy S24+ or the Pixel 9 should work well.

Plans

When it comes to plans, Metro by T-Mobile almost looks like a postpaid carrier with three main unlimited plans, a couple of promotional options for new customers, and a cheaper 10GB plan. Most of Metro’s plans get multi-line discounts, making them a good fit for families, but a bit pricey for those with only one or two lines.

US Mobile’s plans look more at home on a prepaid carrier with three unlimited options and a pay-as-you-go plan. US Mobile doesn’t have multi-line discounts, but it does offer annual payment plans for some of its plans with a discount.

Both of these carriers include taxes and fees in the price of the plan, so there’s no surprise when you get your first bill. Metro does include a $5 auto-pay discount with its plans, so make sure to enable the feature for the lowest price.

Metro by T-Mobile’s plans

When it comes to Metro by T-Mobile, the total number of plans is actually quite high as the carrier offers six of its past plans as Heritage Plans, two promotional plans, and four primary plans. Once you cut through some redundancy and some old deals that aren’t that competitive anymore, you’re left with some solid family plan options and a cheap unlimited option for a single line.

Metro starts with a 10GB plan for $40 with discounts when you bring multiple lines. Four lines, for example, come in at $135 per month. That’s not exactly cheap, with several other carriers, like Google Fi, Visible, MobileX, and more managing to offer $100 four-line unlimited plans.

Moving up, Metro’s cheapest Flex plan is called Flex Start. This plan starts at $50 per month for the first line, with four lines costing $160. This plan gets 8GB of hotspot data on top of the unlimited data that can be used on your phone. All of these Flex plans include a 100GB Google One plan as well.

Metro Flex Up comes in at $10 more across the board while taking hotspot data up to 25GB. That’s $50 per month for the first line and $170 for four lines, as well as texting to 210+ international destinations. For $10 more, you can get Metro Flex Plus, which is really just Metro Flex Up with Amazon Prime. If you’re an Amazon shopper, that essentially means you can save $5 per month on Prime if you were already getting Metro Flex Up.

If you head over to Metro’s plan deals page, you’ll find an unlimited $25 per month with unlimited data and not hotspot data. You’ll need to bring your number with you to get this deal, so it’s only for those switching from another carrier, excluding T-Mobile. You can get a similar deal by bringing your number and a compatible phone to a Metro by T-Mobile store as well.

Last and probably least, if you get a new number, you can get a 5GB plan for $30 per month. This is expensive for a 5GB plan, and if you can pay for a year upfront, a carrier like Mint Mobile is half the price.

US Mobile plans

US Mobile’s plans are a bit simpler with three unlimited plans with high-speed data caps and a flexible plan called By the Gig.

Starting with the By the Gig plan, you can get your first line with 2GB of data for $10 per month. This is also known as the Light Plan and can be had for $96 per year with an annual payment. If you want more data than that, it comes in at $2 per gigabyte, which is some of the cheapest data around. The data is shared between lines, with each line costing $8. If you’ve got a big family with plenty of Wi-Fi, this can be a solid plan.

Moving up to Unlimited Flex, this plan comes with 10GB of high-speed data and 5GB of hotspot data. Basic international calling is included with this plan, plus international texting. If you use all of your 10GB, your speeds are slowed to 1Mbps until the end of the month, so this plan isn’t all that unlimited, really. You’ll also need to pay for the entire year at once with this plan coming in at $210 per year.

Unlimited Started is $25 per month or $270 per year and takes high-speed data up to 35GB. It also comes with 10GB of hotspot data. If you want international calling, it costs $3 per month but comes included if you get the annual plan. This plan is one of US Mobile’s best values, especially if you can pay for a year upfront.

At the top of the stack is Unlimited Premium. The high-speed data is upgraded to 100GB and hotspot data goes up to 50GB, twice the hotspot data of Metro’s top plan. At $44 per month or $390 per year, this is reasonably competitive with other prepaid premium unlimited plans. It also comes with international calls and texts, and roaming in Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

Teleports are free, too, so you can always be on the best network available. Just keep in mind that Teleports can take a few minutes to take effect.

Which should you buy?

For most people, US Mobile is a better choice than Metro if they’re looking to save money. Us Mobile gives customers the choice between networks, so they can pick the one that works best in their area. US Mobile’s unlimited plans, though not truly unlimited, are generally cheaper than Metro’s, even with multi-line discounts considered. If you can afford to pay for the whole year at once, you can save even more with US Mobile.\

For most people, Unlimited Starter is a solid starting point with plenty of data for most people at 35GB, and a reasonably low $25 per month price with taxes and fees included. With solid international options and the ability to choose the network that gives you the best coverage, US Mobile makes more sense for those looking to save money over expensive postpaid carriers.

US Mobile

US Mobile is an impressive prepaid carrier with three networks to choose from and competitive pricing across the board.

From $10/month

Metro by T-Mobile, while not as cheap or flexible as US Mobile, still has some things that set it apart and could make it the right choice for some.

First and foremost, it has stores; if you’re not comfortable setting up your own phone and SIM, having a store do it for you could be worth the $25 activation fee for many people. Metro also doesn’t have any data caps with reduced speeds and instead reduces priority for heavy users. There’s a chance you wouldn’t even notice the priority change as well.

Metro doesn’t have the best prices around, but its plans are still cheaper than most postpaid plans. With multi-line savings, it’s also easy to get multiple lines set up with unlimited data. Metro could be a strong choice for some people, but it probably won’t be for the price.

Metro by T-Mobile

Metro by T-Mobile sticks to a range of unlimited plans with most savings coming with multi-line discounts. Metro is one of the fastest prepaid carriers, but the plans are struggling to keep up in terms of value.

From $40/month